Kinetic Control Concept for the Diffusion Processes of Paracetamol Active Molecules Across Affinity Polymer Membranes

Abstract

Background: Paracetamol compound remains the most used pharmaceutical as an analgesic and antipyretic for pain and fever. It has been detected in aquatic environments. The recovery of this compound from wastewater is one of the important operations carried out by modern industries. Its recovery is especially important for environmental protection. Currently, research is focused on membrane technology that has gained considerable interest over the last decades due to the various advantages that it presents.Result: Our work reports the selective extraction of paracetamol from liquid solution using two types of affinity polymer membranes: (i) polymer inclusion membrane (PIM) and (ii) grafted polymer membrane (GPM). The same extractive agent, gluconic acid (GA), is used for both. After total characterization, the developed membranes were adopted. Kinetic and thermodynamic models have been used to determine the values of various macroscopic parameters, permeability (P), and initial flux (J0), to understand the membrane performance. The same techniques have been used to determine the values of different microscopic parameters, association constant (Kass), and apparent diffusion coefficient (D*) that determine the interaction between the paracetamol substrates and the extractive agent, necessary for the diffusion of paracetamol molecules through the membrane. Similarly, the effects of initial concentration (C0), acidity (pH), and temperature were examined.Conclusion: The experimental results allow the determination of values of activation and thermodynamic parameters (Ea, ΔH#, ΔS#, ΔH#dis, and ΔH#th). The results explain the membrane performances and confirm that the energetic or kinetic aspects control the mechanisms related to the oriented processes. The results also indicate that it is possible to recycle wastewater and eliminate contaminants such as paracetamol.